How many pensioners are there in the UK?
The UK had 13.46 million people aged 65 and over in mid-2025, 19.4% of a population of 69.48 million, according to ONS mid-year population estimates published on 1 October 2026 (age breakdowns are on Nomis). The number aged 65 and over grew in all four UK nations in the year.
The same release puts the old-age dependency ratio at 285 people of pensionable age for every 1,000 of working age. DWP's benefit expenditure and caseload tables put the average State Pension caseload at about 13.0 million in 2024 to 2025, including around 1.1 million people paid abroad.
Figures differ because "pensioner" can mean everyone aged 65 and over, everyone over State Pension age, or people receiving a State Pension, which includes people living overseas. See State Pension caseloads and the ageing population.
When is the next figure out?
DWP statistics are pre-announced on the GOV.UK research and statistics calendar and published at 9:30am. Universal Credit statistics moved from monthly to quarterly releases in February, May, August and November after a 2026 consultation, with the final monthly release on 14 April 2026; provisional estimates were dropped and each quarterly release adds three months of finalised data. The benefits compendium, Benefit Combinations and National Insurance number allocations are now released together once a year. Fraud and error estimates appear each spring, and expenditure tables follow the Budget and spring forecast.
Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.
Where the figures come from
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics and Stat-XploreWhere to find DWP figures on Universal Credit, PIP, State Pension and Pension Credit, how to build a Stat-Xplore table and use the free Open Data API.
Related questions
- How many people get the State Pension?
- Is the UK population ageing?
- How many pensioners live in poverty?
This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about pensions and retirement: all Pensions and retirement questions.